A ROW has blown up between the town’s political leaders over the ‘Say No! to cuts at the Alex’ banner that used to hang outside Redditch town hall.
The banner was taken down in April in the run up to the General Election in June.
Since then Redditch doctors have endorsed plans which have already seen the transfer of key services to Worcestershire Royal from the Alex, including maternity, major incident cases and child in-patient and emergency care.
Last week the Government approved the £29million grant needed to embed the changes which will see the refurbishment and modernisaton of operating theatres at the Alex and improvements to the endoscopy facilities.
When the leader of Redditch borough council, Councillor Bill Hartnett (Lab, Church hill) tried to get the banner re-instated he was told it would have to be with the agreement of the leader of the opposition, Coun Juliet Brunner (Con, Matchborough). This however was refused.
Coun Brunner said: “The Alex is not closing. We now have £29million which has been given to the health trust to make improvement, including to the Alex.
“We have been through a very painful period with so many negative connotations surrounding we believe we now have to move on and this is about promoting our hospital and supporting the staff.”
In reply Coun Hartnett said: “The opposition were part of the Health Commission that we held and no one voted against its recommendations which included looking to Birmingham rather than Worcester for health care.
“We do not think the acute health trust is viable, we have lost services at the Alex and that is why we want the banner to go back up.”
In What do you think? Is it time to move on or should the fight continue to ‘say no to cuts at the Alex’? Email [email protected] or write to the Redditch Standard, Church Green East, Redditch, B98 8BP with your view.
